Case Study

If there is another type of shoe we see as often as Chanel ballet flats at our atelier, it’s Christian Louboutin pumps. So when we got a request from a customer to turn back the clock on her beloved snakeskins, we pulled out all the stops to bring them back to life.

ASSESSMENT

In this case, the delicate snakeskin leather of the pumps had turned yellow over time, making the shoes look dirty. This happens to certain leathers over time, due to the aging glue, dirt and pollution and a host of other outside factors. Moreover, the leather on the heels was completely worn down and needed replacing.

First, we cleaned the shoes thoroughly with a specialised product for exotic leathers. By doing so we were able to make a distinction between what was dirt - and what was damage to the surface of the shoe. Unfortunately, even after the cleaning process the yellow cast on the snakeskin still hadn’t budged. We decided the best approach was to hand-paint the aged scales to refresh the look of the snakeskin and replace the leather on the heels.

As the exact match for the snakeskin was unavailable, we decided to use a cream snakeskin leather, that matched the original lighter tone of the snakeskin to recover the heels. The next task was to hand paint the scales and recreate the same look as the rest of the shoe.

Before picture:worn Louboutin python leather

Before picture: scuffed Louboutin heels

PROCEDURE

Three shades of brown were hand mixed to match the different colours of the scales. After mixing the colours and reapplying all the darker shades on the heels, we hand painted each scale on both shoes with a thin brush to achieve a fluid pattern and a perfect finish. The scales were painted individually to maintain the distinct characteristic and texture of each scale. Such intricate work requires time and patience and the process of painting the beige part of the shoe alone took 3 hours to complete.

The pictures below show the incredible difference between the before and after, where the left shoe has been restored to its original colour. Once all the yellow scales were re-coloured, we used a high gloss finish to enhance the shine of the snakeskin. The result of applying this technique was completely transformative as the yellow cast was now nowhere to be seen..

Left: Old version

Right: New version

Left: Restored shoe & heel

Right: Work in process

We have spent years developing and innovating advanced techniques at The Restory to address the most complex problems. The way these Christian Louboutin heels turned out, we think it’s safe to say, mission accomplished!

For more info about our exotic leather services, please contact service@the-restory.com or book your collection today.